The Life-Changing Magic Of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo had been on my radar ever since it hit the best seller list and after running across some reviews I decided to give it a try. It had a lovely cover, a magical title, and the Japanese certainly have a reputation for being tidy so what’s not to like? Unfortunately, none of what I read in this book was new information. It was just rehashed information with plenty of fluff and glitter. Half the time she was busy promising that organizing was magical and would transform your life, the other half of the time she was giving example after example on why “conventional mainstream organizing tips” never worked. I also found it ironic that a book on organization was so cluttered!
Unstuff Your Life by Andrew J. Mellen on the other hand, makes a lot more sense and delivers information without all the fluff. It was published 4 years before the so-called magic book, and offers a much more practical approach to organizing and decluttering. What I like about Mellen’s approach is that he has 3 principles that he shares upfront that apply to everything.
1. One home for everything
2. Like with like (similar things live together)
3. Something in, something out (Stuff equilibrium)
There are two of his seminars on Youtube (one, two) so you can actually learn his organization methods without even having to buy his book. Because I liked his seminars, I decided to get the audiobook through Audible a couple years back so that I could listen to his tips while cleaning my home. The book goes into more detail on organizing by category with practical tips that you can follow along, but it all boils down to those three principles. So if you were disappointed by the overly hyped magic book, I recommend that you take a look at the Youtube videos I linked above as he also has a Q&A session at the end which provides some valuable insight as well.
Your turn ♥ What is the best organizing tip that’s worked for you? How often do you declutter your space?
